Easily distracted by shiny objects.

May 31, 2016

Jan links to this piece by Scott Nakagawa, in which he discusses how an Oregon anti-gay initiative was defeated in 1992:

Voters responded to three key ideas. First, that the ballot measure went too far and would, if passed, put all of us in danger. Second, LGBTQ people turned out by the thousands to volunteer, not just for the official campaign, but for key organizations all across Oregon that supported LGBTQ equality. And third, and in some ways most importantly, allies of the LGBTQ community came out by the thousands and declared their support for us.

How to adapt these strategies to defeat Trump:

Emphasize that he goes "too far." Point out that you could find yourself targeted or someone you personally care about.

Volunteer to campaign against him if you belong to any group he attacks. This would be Mexicans, Muslims, gays, blacks, women, Chinese, etc.etc. Refuse to be quiet or back down in the face of pro-Trump belligerence.

If you do not belong to the targeted groups, declare your support for their struggles. This means you, comfortable white guys!

We all need to "come out of the closet." What kind of a country do we want to live in? One that works for inclusion or one that becomes ever more ignorant and belligerent? The choice is ours, truly. As isolated individuals we have no power; we must come together in solidarity.

If there was ever a time for Sanders people to stop being so foolish and mobilize to defeat Trump, it's now.

Instead, the Sanders anger junkies have taken over the Democratic Party in Hawaii. I know who they are and why they have done this. They are really libertarian business people, mostly white, some successful and some not, who want to disable the Asian-American power structure. They don't like being in the minority, unless they are in charge. They are Democrats because it is rare for Republicans to win elections in Hawaii. They had a "great white hope" in Republican Linda Lingle, but she was a disappointment, and the Republicans are in tatters.

This is serious, because our primary does not include presidential candidates. The party people will be putting pressure on the superdelegates who have declared for Clinton to switch their vote to Sanders, claiming that this is "the will of the people." Well, the caucus I went to was almost exclusively white voters. It is deceptive to imagine for a minute that Sanders is a big favorite with Hawaiians, over-all. Obama is still very popular, and his alliance with Hillary Clinton means something, still. If our primary included presidential candidates, this would become clear, as we saw in Nevada and Washington State, where Clinton lost the caucuses but won the primaries.

So, finding a group I can work with against Trump may not be easy, especially as I believe that many of these Sanders people will end up backing Trump. They are aggressive, money-obsessed and expansionist, just like him. They need to be convinced that there would be penalities for everyone in backing him, even for them.

I don't agree with Nakagawa that "compassion" is the way to reach Trump followers. That approach worked in the case of gay rights but it won't work here, because Trump followers have no compassion. I don't know why it is that we refuse to see absolute evil, even when it manifests itself right in front of our eyes. I think these people need to hear that they may be endangering themselves and that most people are against them.

Well, reading this over, I now know what to do. Work for Mazie and Brian!

And Colleen Hanabusa although she is not in my district. I will not work for or vote for Tulsi Gabbard. To think that someone so steeped in military life would be a good peace candidate is ridiculous. And yet she is backing Sanders, a political bet that she may lose.

May 30, 2016

Although that does not seem a very appropriate salutation for this holiday. I've been reading about the last war the U.S. won. Sometimes I think half this country is spoiling for a war. One it can win.

It has been chilly here, and having no suitable coat or jacket, one being not warm enough and one too warm, I went to Value Village and got one that was just right. It's a man's jacket, size XXL, brown, in some sort of suede looking cotton material, with a quilted lining. Perfect for throwing over whatever I happen to be wearing.

A happy accident, as I was looking through their used paperbacks, was finding a remarkable novel by Shirley Hazzard, a writer new to me: TheTransit of Venus. It is like a magic box full of treasures. Just glancing at the page in front of me, I read this: "A catastrophe of which no one would ever, say, the Will of God." This refers to the report of an English soldier driving through the ruins of Hiroshima in 1946. The theme of the novel is beauty, which must be insisted upon, even in the face of catastrophe.

May 29, 2016

When Sanders definitely loses, it will appear that no one was really ever for him, not in their heart of hearts. Facebook friends are reverting to their usual posts about their businesses, family, entertainment, and of course lots and lots of cats and dogs, and in honor of the holiday, supporting our vets. Well, it looked likely there for a while, but I knew he was a mistake from day one. I also know that nobody loves you for being right.

Now it's time to start pressuring Clinton on her ties to the less savory people and institutions she has been involved with. Let her articulate her positions. I think it would be good if she ran with Warren.

May 27, 2016

Last night we attended a science fair at our granddaughter's middle school. She did a nice job with her presentation on polio, which included the famous photo of a ward full of iron lungs. To her generation that is the bad old days, when children fell prey to all kinds of diseases that are almost extinct now. Later on our littlest grandchild and her mother will visit us here at our place for lunch. We went out to PCC, the local premium supermarket, and bought bread, fruit, cheeses and salami and ready-made deli salads. And sorbet for dessert.

The Times Literary Supplement is really really good this week (May 20 issue). Of special interest to literary types is a critical article, All the World's a Page, by Adam Thirlwell, on the subject of "world literature." Behind the paywall, unfortunately.

There is a lot of free content though, such as an article about foodies and their works. The co-author of the Norton Anthology of Food Writing is Roger Porter, retired Reed College Professor and ex-husband of Nancy Porter, a friend and former professor of women's studies at Portland State University. The reviewer dismisses this book, pretty much, and prefers the other book under review, Dining With the Famous and Infamous, by Fiona Ross. I'm in agreement. Foodie stuff is, by its very nature, trivia, in the same way fashion is. The minute you make a big serious deal out of food or fashion you ruin the fun. Don't you want to know what Marilyn Monroe liked to eat? Of course you do!

In this lighthearted spirit, here are some nice pix from the Berkeley Botanical Garden.

May 26, 2016

Back in Seattle. New building going up across the street now blocks the nice view of the water we had. And it's gloomy.

As a young person, I would get furious at my mother in law for her lack of idealism. Now I'm as bad as she is! Worse, because she never had any pretensions about her social conscience. Yesterday I passed right by a man who was slumped against a building on a street corner bellowing, "I'm hungry! I'm hungry!" I have no answers. All I can say is that my job (s) as a teacher were always with immigrants, refugees and prisoners, but now, I fear, I mostly want to play. Hillary looks fine to me. And I like cruises.

Best I can do, I guess, is not to be mean and not to rationalize. Not to tell myself I "deserve" anything. It's mostly luck. Well, that's how it goes. I 'm back and forth and am not very systematic in what I do, aside from contributing money to causes I think are important. Terry gives a lot to environmental organizations.

The most wonderful thing about this short Bay Area trip was seeing my sister, Laura, and my friend, Jan. Laura has been doing a lot of important scholarship on the indigenous people of the San Francisco Bay Area and is preparing a lecture now that she will be giving at a local college. Here she is at the Berkeley Botanical Garden, holding up a tree.

Selfie with Jan in a Chinese restaurant with the added touch of what appears to be fluorescent lighting . Honestly, we are better looking than this! But I did want to document our meeting.

As to social justice: Jan is the real thing: a person who has devoted herself to bettering the lives of the unfortunate of this world. I do think her Christian faith is a major factor in her sense of responsibility toward others.

Me at our Air B&B place. It was $120.00 a night. Why yes, I have lost a few pounds! It's because I stopped drinking.

A friend of ours found the cheapest accommodation he could, it was a horrible little room, and it cost $170.00. I don't think anyone else at this conference was paying less than $250.00 a night for a hotel room. Our one night at Hyatt Regency near SF Airport was $215. 00. We waited at midnight for 20 minutes to check in while some customers argued about their bill. The floor we were on was under renovation and a mess. What a ripoff! This sort of thing: the overpricing, the lack of help, the complete disregard for the customers, is why we are turning more and more toward less expensive but more personalized accommodations. The owner kept in good touch with us the whole time we were in her place, although we did not get to see her face to face.

Portsmouth Square Plaza, Chinatown, across the street from where we stayed., was full of gamblers. I thought probably they would not like me to take pix of them.

However, I did get this street view. What was the name of that movie where there were all these subliminal messages that you could see when you put on special glasses? Here no glasses are necessary!

Sorry some of these I-phone pix are not top quality, but I don't have Photoshop here and carrying around a real camera gets tiresome.

This is the building where we stayed.

These photos make things look dark and gloomy, which they were not at all. I think I'll start bringing my real camera along again next time we travel.

May 25, 2016

Tried out Lyft to get to SF Airport and were totally satisfied. The driver picked us up within five minutes of our request, in front of our Airbnb place in Chinatown. He picked up another passenger who lived South of Market, so we got a little free sightseeing as a bonus. Cost with $10.00 coupon: $19.00 with tip. It's the way to go. People are getting ripped off right and left for faux luxuries. It's ridiculous. And boring, too.
I was at an expense account dinner last night at the Four Seasons where the food and drink were pretty good, except for a dish I would have sent back if I had not been a guest. I believe it was smoked cardboard with plastic sprinkles. I joked with the host that the bill for seven of us was only in the three figures.

Have been spending time with handsome well regarded men able to have most of what they want. Trump horrifies them. It's up to them, the highly privileged , to get rid of him, not tired beleaguered women and old hippies and college students.They are loading their task on people who are not strong enough to repel the invader.